Grenade
by dimitrisgirl18
Summary: Takes place between the end of Mockingjay and the Epilouge. We know Gale left for District Two, but what if he had realized his mistake and came back? What would he find? And when Katniss realizes that Gale could make her happy too-Peeta gets competition.
1. Chapter 1

Gale Hawthorne POV

Rejection. Rejection was the only thing that seared through me the minute I walked into her house. After I had left for District Two, I realized that I made the wrong choice, that I should be back with my Katnip, trying to sort out the mess I'd made. For some reason, I had some crazy hope that maybe, just maybe, from the first day she'd kissed him, it was all an act. So I'd kissed her, too. I had seen the confusion in her eyes, and knew that she could have been mine if I'd stayed. If the rebellion hadn't gone the way it had.

Halfway to my destination, I turned around, came running back, realizing my mistake. I wanted to make things right. But here I stand, in her entryway, in full view of a passionate kiss between her and Peeta. The baker's son, my worst enemy. Yet I couldn't hate him for making her happy, so I turned around and ran. I opened the door and slammed it behind me, not caring if they heard; if it broke the kiss that pained me to look at. Mistakenly, I had entered her house, thinking it was like old times.

Obviously, it wasn't.

I ran until I couldn't stop my lungs from heaving. I collapsed on the ground, taking a second to catch my breath and survey my surroundings. Ironically, it was the Meadow. I laughed bitterly. The Meadow, the place where all of my hopes had been raised and my dreams of a happy District Twelve had been crushed. The place where I had brought all of the survivors to wait, to keep surviving. And yet here I stood, absolutely sure that I was going to die from the pain in my chest that just kept growing, aiming to overtake my whole being, my whole existence.

She was the reason for my existence, and therefore, without her, I was nothing. I felt like nothing, I was trash, I was used. She made me think that she loved me, so I gave her all my love, then she turned around and threw my love in the trash for _him._

I heard the light footsteps of a hunter behind me, but I dared not turn around for fear that my rage would overcome me. I didn't have to turn around, she came over to me. The way she sat down, so at ease, so natural here in the forest reminded me of the Katnip I had loved. She was Katniss now, his Katniss. No longer could she be my Katnip.

"Gale," she whispered gently, placing her worn hand on my arm. Her face was full of regret, full of longing. "I-"

"Don't." I said harshly. The words kept spilling out from there, and there was nothing I could do to hold them back. "Don't think that you can make it better, Katniss. You can't. I've seen it now; and there's no going back. Did you think that you could fool me? Live a double life? Hunt with me in the mornings and kiss your baker boy in the afternoon? Tend to your children at night? His children? No, Katniss, you can't. He's won your heart, I can see that."

She bit her lip as tears welled in her eyes. Strangely enough, I didn't regret what I had said. I didn't regret hurting her. She wasn't mine now, and she would never be. I planned on returning to District Two anyways, she wouldn't haunt me there.

"Gale," she whispered once again. I realized that I still loved the way she said my name. "Gale, I'm sorry. I really am. I'm just so confused right now…"

And somehow, I found myself reaching out my arms to her and pulling her into my embrace. We fit perfectly together, like two pieces of a puzzle. My anger was gone, replaced by the desire to make her feel better. "No, Katnip. I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have said those things, I didn't really mean them."

She looked up at me, her cheeks red and her face flushed from crying. "Really?"

"Yes, really." And without thinking, I took her head gently in my hands and kissed her. As I pulled away, I smiled. "You make me crazy, Katnip. Angry one moment, happy the next. What am I going to do with you?"

She sighed. "I don't know, Gale." Once more, she leaned her head on my shoulder. I stroked her hair, comforting her about what she didn't want to admit. She was unsure, and Katniss would never be unsure. Katniss was the Mockingjay, not a small girl in the forest. But Katnip, Katnip was that girl in the forest. And I could tell she was torn between two worlds.

"You know, Katniss, waiting longer to decide never makes it easier."

She didn't respond, but simply sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. As she did, I noticed the faint smell of scented shampoo, and almost snorted. But I figured that she had enough on her mind without me teasing her about her hair. I was on her mind, and that reassured me.

I stood up, and she looked up at me. "Where are you going?"

"Katnip, it's got to be at least eleven at night. If you want to have some mental sanity when making a decision, you should get some sleep." I held out my hand, and she took it, laughing softly as she, too, stood.

"Goodnight, Gale." she said, kissing me on the cheek. "Love you. I'll tell Peeta you said-" Katniss broke off. "Well, goodnight." She walked away, a considerably lighter tone to her step.

I watched her in the slowly brightening moonlight. I watched her unbraided hair sway; her hands fly about as she spun once, how she smiled so softly, free of her cares for a moment in this magical time of night we call dusk. It took me a few moments to finally respond to her, but in those few moments she had slipped from my grasp, back to the place she calls home with her baker boy.

"But is it enough?" I whispered, finally answering her question in the silence. I was glad she had left, that there was no one there. Because no one was there to see me cry over her, my Katnip, who I was almost sure was gone from me forever.

What she didn't know was everything I would do for her. I would catch a grenade for her; throw my hand on a blade for her. I'd jump in front of a train for her, heck; I would do anything for her. I would go through all this pain, even take a bullet straight through my brain. I would die for my Katnip, but would she do the same?

All I could hope for was that baker boy would do something wrong, and she would choose me.

So I held on to that faint hope, my light in the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Katniss Everdeen POV

Slowly, I approached the door of the house I shared with my fiancée. I wanted that moment with Gale to last, and I held onto it with every fiber of my being. I didn't want to go inside and ruin the feeling. Yet, Peeta was waiting for me, and I knew I had to go in. My feet dragged themselves up to the front step, and I eased open the door.

I wiped away my tears and paused before entering the family room. Peeta was sitting there, looking distraught. "Katniss!" he exclaimed, running over to me and pulling me into a passionate hug. "Where were you? I was worried he might have…" he trailed off, leaving the sentence open and haunting.

"I'm fine, Peeta, we just went out into the Meadow and had a talk. Nothing serious, but I'm tired. I need some sleep." I shrugged out of his loving grip and trudged up the winding staircase.

I could hear his footsteps behind me, so I turned back around. "Really, Peeta. Just…kind of…alone, okay?"

His eyes widened a little bit. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." I snapped. He looked hurt, but I didn't care. I was too angry with myself for assuming things. He headed for the hallway.

"This better not be about Gale, Katniss. You're with me now, we're engaged. You're with me, and only me." He slammed the door behind him, obviously upset. I wondered if he would come back in the morning.

I sighed and continued up the stairs, studying every fleck of paint in the wall as if I had never seen my house before. My eyes were opening, seeing beyond what I used to. For instance, I never noticed that little painting on the wall. It must have been here when I moved in. Or the crack in the ceiling just before I walk into my room.

I flopped onto my bed as soon as I got there, eager for some comfort. Without changing clothes or taking off my shoes, I curled up underneath the covers and nestled into my pillow. It scared me how much I assumed.

I assumed that Peeta would always be the one I loved.

I assumed that Gale would never be the one for me.

I assumed that Peeta would always come back.

I assumed that Gale would always stay in District Two.

I assumed that Peeta's love would always be mine, that he wouldn't care about what I did or who I was, he would just love me for who I am.

I assumed that Gale's love would be someone else's, a girl who caught his eye in Two or one that used to wink at him in school.

I assumed that I would never have to make a choice. I assumed that other people's actions defined my choice. Gale left, therefore I didn't have to choose between Gale and Peeta. They made my choice for me. This time, Gale was back, and I had to make my own choice.

It scared me, because nothing was the same. Even when we were fighting side by side, I had always assumed that Peeta would love me, that Gale would stay a friend. It would never have occurred to me that I could have the choice for something more.

Peeta Mellark POV

As I slammed the door behind me, I stalked away to my house next door. What Katniss didn't know is that I followed her. I got worried, and I followed her. I saw their whole exchange, and ran back before Katniss could return. I was sick of it. Even when Katniss loved me, I could see that she wasn't quite sure.

She never had to make her own choice, and I felt as if she was never fully seeing me.

But now, now Gale had come back. The nerve he had to come back after leaving her infuriated me. And the fact that she didn't care that he left…just a few smooth words made it all better for her. She would believe anything he said. And I couldn't do anything about it.

If I told her that I was there, she would get mad at me for sure. If I didn't say anything, she could go on seeing Gale. I had to plan my strategy carefully…it was just like the Hunger Games all over again. Except this time, Katniss wasn't coming back for me, she was coming back for Gale.

It infuriated me how she could just leave me that easily. I could feel the tracker jacker venom bubbling up inside me, as it did every now and then. I could feel the anger, and I couldn't do anything about it. It scared me how I couldn't do anything about it.

Easy come, easy go, that's just how she lives, she'll take it all from me but she'll never give. I should've known she was trouble from the first kiss-she had her eyes wide open…why were they open? I gave her everything…and she tossed it in the trash, all in one moment.

And I didn't know what to do.

Katniss Everdeen POV

When I woke up the next morning, I realized that Peeta wasn't beside me, and it all came rushing back. Gale…Peeta…and the kiss.

I immediately got out of bed and changed into my old comfortable hunting clothes. Grabbing my bow, I prayed that Gale was home. Since I didn't want to alert anyone to my leaving, I crept silently out of the house and trekked down to the village. There was a light on in Gale's house, and my heart did a little leap in my chest. I knocked on the door, and he answered almost immediately.

"Hi, Gale." I said, feeling like a little girl.

"Hi, Catnip." he replied. "We going hunting?" he asked, eyeing my bow and arrow. I nodded. "Okay, hold on." I did, and a few minutes later, he reappeared with his bow and hunting gear. "Let's go!"

Together, we set out for the Meadow, still untouched, even after the rebellion. We hunted like it was the old days, covering each other's backs and cornering prey. When we were done, we had caught a young deer, two squirrels, and a small rabbit.

"Good work." Gale said. "How much do you think we could get at the…" He trailed off, about to say "Hob," but realizing that it had burned down.

"All this is for us." I reminded him. "We could even share it with some of the other families."

He laughed. "It's a nice feeling."

I stared at the man I was falling in love with all over again. "Yeah, it is."

Gale cocked his head. "What are you staring at?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, nothing."

"Okay. Last one back to my house is a tribute!"

I chuckled as he took off. "No fair!" I yelled. "I have the game bag!" But I ran after him anyway. When I finally got to his street, he was nowhere in sight. "Gale?" I called. "Gale!" He wasn't anywhere. I set off back to the forest, but after searching for half an hour, I still couldn't find him.

I was tired and sweating, and had lugged around the heavy game bag with me. I decided to go back to his house and wait for him there. When I got there, he was leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face.

"Gale!" I admonished.

"What?"

"You cheater." I said. You disappeared so I wouldn't get here first." I pouted.

"Now, now, I never said there were any rules."

"Of course there are. You know, cheating is punishable by-" I was cut off by the feeling of his lips against mine. He entangled his hands in my hair. My body responded, but my mind was reeling. Did this mean he liked me, too?

He pulled away. "Punishable by what?" There was a self-satisfied look on his face.

"Nothing." I said, sighing.

Gale smiled proudly. "I thought so."

I looked away, and I thought I saw a figure disappearing. "Did you see that?" Gale shook his head. "Huh, must have been my imagination…" I trailed off. My thoughts went from giddy to worried. Could that have been Peeta? Did he see the kiss? And, worst of all—

Would he hurt Gale to get me back?

* * *

**A/N: Sorry that I haven't updated, but I hope this was worth the wait! We should be having better updates from now on… Anyway, please review and tell me how I did with this chapter. Are you Team Peeta or Team Gale, for all purposes of this story?**

**Have a wonderful 4****th**** of July and thanks for reading!**

**Peace, Love, Happiness, Freedom,**

**~DG~**


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